Homecoming
by going-rogue2374
Summary: After the fall of the Demon Emperor, Rivalz is reunited with a friend he thought he'd lost forever. Contains major spoilers.


**Fandom: Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion**

**Characters: Rivalz, Nina**

**Summary: After the fall of the demon emperor, Rivalz is reunited with a friend he thought he'd lost forever.**

**A/N: I've always had an interest in these two. They're sort of the least developed characters in the student council (well, I'd say Nina is more developed than Milly, but you know what I mean) and they need more love. Obviously they wouldn't make a good couple, but I thought their friendship towards the end of R2 was really sweet. Hence, a plot-bunny was born. Please write a review if you like it, or even if you don't. Reviews, good or bad, are better than birthday presents.**

_Zero. Zero. Zero._

Civilians flooded into the street. They stormed the platforms and released Emperor Lelouch's hostages. Among them were a small pink-haired girl and a blond boy that had attended Ashford Academy for a short time. Kallen was there too, her eyes wide with an emotion he couldn't read. Was it fear? Sadness? He wasn't sure. They released their chains and bonds, all the while chanting his name.

_Zero. Zero. Zero._

Rivalz Cardemonde remained where he had stood for the entire parade. From that spot he had watched his best friend put through the chest with a sword, watched the little princess sob her heart out into his still body, and watched those who had once hated the masked knight praise him as though he had never struck fear into their hearts in the first place.

Rivalz clung to the safety rail until his knuckles turned white. He was all alone. He didn't know what to feel. He wished that Lelouch was standing beside him making a snide remark about the day's events. He wished Shirley and Rolo and Suzaku were all there, even if it would have killed them to see Lelouch's body, slowly losing all its blood. He wished _someone_ was there.

_Zero. Zero. Zero._

Rivalz turned then. He walked away from the scene, sparing only a swift glance in the fallen emperor's direction. "Goodbye, Lelouch." He whispered, more to himself than to his friend. "I hope you find peace one way or another, buddy."

And with that, he ran.

The blue-haired boy known as Rivalz Cardemonde had not left the Ashford Academy grounds since the assassination of Lelouch Vi Britannia three days ago. When he wasn't in the garage listlessly polishing his already glistening bike, he would sit in the empty student council room and flip through the endless photo albums Milly had left behind, each photograph like a knife to the gut.

_Empty_. It was one word he never thought he'd use to describe the room. Of course, it would be empty at night when Milly, Lelouch, Shirley, Nina, Kallen, Suzaku, Rolo and himself had returned to their rooms. However, the room was never devoid of activity. Even when the council wasn't in there planning another extravagant party, their hearts and minds would remain there until they could return.

Now, the once lively room was empty. Shirley and Suzaku were both dead and buried. Lelouch's lifeless body was probably being held somewhere until someone worked out what to do with it. Rolo could be anywhere, but Rivalz assumed with a heavy heart that the shy, dusty-haired boy was with his brother in heaven – or hell, but he liked to think that such a place didn't exist. Kallen was probably back with her fellow Black Knights, trying to forget the unforgettable. Milly had long since moved on to greater things. And Nina, well, Rivalz didn't know what might have become of her. He hoped she was alright.

He turned the stiff pages of a large red album entitled "Christmas Party 2017". The pages contained no less than two hundred and thirty one colour photographs of the student council, which at that time had consisted of himself, Milly, Shirley, Rolo and Lelouch. It had been a dress up party, and Rivalz had drawn the short straw when it came to costumes. He was dressed as a giant Christmas tree, complete with baubles, lights and a big tasteless star. His favourite photo depicted himself standing between Lelouch and Rolo. The smaller Lamperouge brother was dressed as an admittedly adorable reindeer, while Lelouch was dressed as what was probably the most intimidating elf Rivalz had ever seen. He smiled at the memory, even as his eyes sparkled with unshed tears. If only things could be that simple again.

"Rivalz?"

He turned his head towards the source of the voice, not quite registering what was happening. Then it clicked. "N-Nina?"

The young scientist stood in the doorway with a small smile on her face. She seemed thinner since he had last seen her, and the shadow of a bruise was visible on her jaw, but she was actually _smiling_. Never before had he seen such a comforting sight. "Nina!"

He cleared the space between them in a few bounds and gathered the girl into a hug so tight that it lifted her off her feet. She wrapped her arms around him to hold herself up and gave him a soothing pat on the back as the tears he'd been withholding since this whole mess had begun began to fall. "Oh, Nina. I'm so sorry I couldn't save you."

Nina's voice was lighter than it has been in all the years he had known her. "Rivalz, don't be sorry. You tried, and I'm absolutely fine." Neither had much to say after that, so they just stood there holding on to each other as if they would never let go.

It was oddly comforting, in a way. Two forgotten people finding consolation in each other. One of them a loyal friend who was rendered useless and kicked aside by the rest of the world. The other, a brilliant mind with a battered heart and nothing left to lose. Despite everything that had happened, and despite the tears that wouldn't stop flowing from his eyes, Rivalz Cardemonde finally felt a sense of relief, and as he felt a wetness on his shoulder where Nina's head rested, he realized that she must have felt the same.

**A/N: Not the best ending, admittedly I sort of rushed through this. Tell me what you think, and if you like what you see then why not subscribe? Nya ~**


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